Stargazers
by HeartInCustody
Summary: Xion could not see Ventus as himself, but rather a boy with Roxas' face. Only on a night beneath the astral sky does she realize Ventus does care for her.


Xion craned her neck, an expression of awe alight as the moonlight gingerly lay atop her visage. Azure eyes took in the sight: dark, ebony blanket of sky polluted with specks of stars overlapping Destiny Islands. A single, gray mist of a cloud glided across the astral sea, as if in a hurry to reach the other clouds at the end of this expanse.

She let her head slowly drop, exhaling as she changed direction. The sand crumbled beneath her footfalls until she had reached the little cabin.

Upon entering, inky darkness blotted the majority of her vision, but she could see in the corner a staircase illuminated by the light of the moon and stars. Hastily but carefully, she climbed the wooden steps and out into the open. A wooden bridge stretched to a raised section of the island, a palm tree with a bent trunk roosting quietly.

After missions, Xion had come here and visited this exact spot. Only there were no seashells occupying her hand nor was the sky black as shadows. When images and memories of Sora flooded into her mind, she halted her retreats to Destiny Islands, unable to bear the weight of choices left in both hands.

But now, residing in Sora's heart in ever-changing scenery, she felt at _peace_.

Rarely had his heart granted her chance to rest in the open air. Normally, she was coddled into a comfortable bed where the morning rays of the sun could not reach her. Not that she minded; Destiny Islands provided a warm and soft bed of sand, but she hadn't fallen under sleep's spell out in the open.

The bark was solid beneath her, somewhat uncomfortable, but not enough for her to take leave. She came for a better look at the stars, to relish in midnight tranquility.

"Not a bad spot."

Xion started, slightly, hair dancing around her head as she looked over her shoulder. Attached to the voice was a boy about her age, blonde hair swept into a unique hairstyle. His eyes were the same shade of blue as her dear friend. Actually, he was the spitting image of her friend down to the wire. The significant difference lied in his actions and words.

"Ventus," Xion acknowledged, unable to bring herself to smile. She did not hate him, no, but returning to Sora's heart, running into a boy who shared the same face as Roxas… it was a little too much to take in.

Ventus chuckled, approaching closer. "Just Ven is fine. You mind if I stay here?"

She shook her head as affirmative and he leaned against the other end of the tree, fingers laced behind his head. The following silence that stretched between them was not uncomfortable, both accepting of one another's company. Xion found herself at ease, glancing in Ventus' direction with haste.

A light glimmer of something green flashed as he casually rolled a shoulder.

' _Is that the Wayfinder...?_ ' she pondered, eyes catching sight of the star-shaped charm clinging to the thread encircling his neck. The overall anatomy of the Wayfinder reminded her of a certain yellow fruit.

Quiet. Then—

"...Yeah, Aqua made it for me."

Xion's heart skipped a beat, unaware she had voiced the thought aloud. She had not meant to draw attention to such a sensitive topic, but she nonetheless supplied a response.

"Oh."

The resistance to slap her forehead at her own foolish response hung tightly, opting for her to bite her lip instead. ' _Great, Xion,_ ' she thought dourly. ' _Maybe you should've asked to wear it yourself, or maybe ask him what type of_ glass _she used. Wait, do glasses even_ have _types? Why am I even thinking this?_ '

She missed the slightly puzzled expression Ventus gave her before he began speaking, turning the Wayfinder in his fingers. "She gave them to me and Terra on a night just like this... said that it signified an 'unbreakable connection', and that we would always find our way back to one another." He laughed lightly, but the notes were mirthless. "We did, but not the way we were expecting. But I guess she really _did_ put a magic spell on them – she was right."

Quickly had he slipped off the Wayfinder, lifting it to the moon, gazing through lens as green as healthy foliage. From Xion's position, the green was like a gem itself, thin slices of well-cut emerald woven among a five-pointed bracket of steel.

Ventus lowered his arm and brought the star closer, eyebrows coming knitting in a light frown, but his eyes were melancholic. "Sorry for going on like that," he apologized, turning to face Xion with a forced smile (the way the corners of his lips strained to keep them curved), face holding a sudden amount of fatigue that had been absent before.

Xion shook her head quickly. "No, don't apologize – it's alright." Gloved fingers combed through her hair shyly, words piling on the tip of her tongue. "It's okay... to talk about the people you miss."

A brief hum vibrated his lips. "Yeah... Thanks, Xion." he responded.

To say communication was awkward was an understatement. While they found comfort knowing there was another person residing in Sora's heart, they had not fully introduced one another yet for different reasons. Xion struggled seeing Ventus as anyone other than a boy who looked like her best friend, and Ventus was entangled with untold guilt. Putting two damaged people together and asking them to pick up the pieces was not an easily surmountable task...

"You ever wonder what stars are?"

"Huh?"

"You know, where all the light comes from? How many?"

Xion debated supplying an answer to his musings or to remain quiet. She had not given it much thought under the heel of the Organization, but something – an answer – pricked at the back of her mind.

' _They're... other worlds?'_ a voice flit through her head, sounding awfully like Roxas. ' _How many do you think are out there?'_

' _Who knows?_ ' the accompanying voice, Axel, had seemed more amused than anything else. But beneath the surface there had been a dash of curiosity. ' _More than we can count. What do you think, Xion?_ '

At the time, platforms of the setting sun glazed before her, rendering her unable to start a futile count of white dots in the sky. She had playfully jabbed back, coaxing out a one note laugh from the both of them. Now, enwrapped in an entirely new setting with someone new, she was given the chance to answer.

"They're worlds, just like ours," she spoke softly, eyes skimming briefly over the surface. "There may be hundreds or thousands more out there. It's... funny. We live far apart from other worlds, and who knows how different they are? But we all share the same sky."

There was a pause cutting before Ventus' input. "I'd like to see the other worlds out there... maybe all of them." He said the last part with a teasing lilt, and Xion allowed a brief smirk. "How about you, Xion?"

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "The Organization kept us limited where we could travel, and it depended on the mission. I... did take some liberties towards the end, but they were still in the Organization's radius." She looked over fully now. "You know Ven, you don't have to stand there all night. You can sit up here if you want."

"Huh? Oh, okay, thanks!" he smiled sheepishly, pulling himself atop the sturdy branch of the tree. An eyebrow rose once he settled on the tree, leaning back on his hands. "Hmm... thought this would be more... comfortable." he seemed to mutter to himself.

"Did you, Terra, and Aqua do this a lot?" Xion asked suddenly, a little abashed at her blunt question.

Ventus nodded, eyes lightly sparking in amusement. "Yeah, most nights after a long training session; even if there weren't any stars. We didn't mind – as long as we were together, that was all that mattered." he seemed to hesitate upon concluding his reply. "What about you, Xion? Who were the people you were with back in the Organization?"

Xion swallowed, eyebrows dropping down in a blink. "They were Roxas and Axel. Every day, we would meet up after missions and have ice cream on top of the clock tower in Twilight Town." _Or rather... we_ used _to... Before I_ — "We didn't get to see the stars together unless Xemnas called for a meeting on the balcony."

She wished she could've had more time with her friends. Screw the idea of having "no heart"; what she felt was regret and pain, a yearning to see Roxas and Axel again and go back to how things were. But it was too late, and she had made the right decision... _she had to keep telling herself that_. What she was doing... was for the best for not just Roxas and Axel, but everyone connected to Sora.

The breeze of the night suddenly took on a chilling edge, nipping at her arms and legs through the black coat. She subconsciously hugged herself, cramming her fingers beneath her arms. Behind her eyes pressure began to build, climbing atop one another until tears had lined stuffily along the bottom rims of her eyes. Xion forced her head to tilt up towards the sky, hoping the tears would fall back, but to little avail.

 _Was fate this cruel with everyone? Did it take away friends just to create larger complications that were best solved alone? Did she_ deserve _this...? For running for so long, for... for..._

 _For being a_ mistake.

...Right. She wasn't supposed to exist – not as a Nobody, but as a faceless puppet.

"...Xion?" Ventus' voice was light and warm, and she was only now aware of how he had scooted closer to her. Not enough to be pressed to her side, but enough that the sleeve of his jacket touched the arm of her coat. When she extracted her gaze from the sky to settle on Ventus' face, there was a range of emotions, pity being one of them, but there was also something Xion had _not_ expected to see...

 _Concern._

Roxas had given her that same look when she began distancing herself from him and Axel. Sometimes, her heart would beat against her ribcage when he shot her that look; whether the feeling was conjured from embarrassment on her behalf or touched by her friend's concern she did not know.

But now, seeing Ventus give her that _exact same look_ with Roxas' face... It was familiar, but it was pinching, twisting like a painful reminder. She felt the beginnings of a knot in her throat, feeling the ropes loop atop one another. She didn't trust her voice with full-on sentences, but she did manage a solid, "What?"

"Is there something I can do?" The words tumbled from his mouth, choppy and unsure, but she appreciated the offer regardless. "I mean, I can't _be_ Roxas or Axel, but you can talk about whatever's bothering you. Uh, if you want, I mean, not wanting to force you or anything."

 _I can't_ be _Roxas_.

She almost laughed at the remark – if only he _knew._ Ventus was sweet, a boy who cared much for others. Yet it was a different type of care from Roxas and Axel. She wondered what exactly it was... She shook her head, bangs, tickling her forehead in the motion. "I'm fine," she gave a small smile. "Thanks."

Ventus nodded slowly, once. He returned her gesture half-heartedly, not entirely convinced, but not wanting to pry. "When this is all over..." Xion had gone back to huddling with her knees pulled to her chest, but gave a hum to confirm she was listening. "...we'll see them again. Sora won't stop until he saves everyone."

She wondered, could Nobodies be saved? Would she, Roxas, and Axel ever exist as their own selves? Could Sora make that possible?

Xion tried to disregard the annoying cons and wishful thinking of Ventus' words, and she managed to incline her head in agreement. "Yes... You're right."

But for now, they would sit beneath the inky blanket of sky pelted with the bright stars, side-by-side, undisturbed by monsters that often clung to the shadows. On this peaceful illusion of Destiny Islands, evil could not reach them, warded off by the light of the heart that housed them.

She couldn't help but admit she felt comfortable next to Ventus, feeling as if they took a step in the right direction. Somewhere, deep down, she believed Ventus... believed that she would meet Roxas and Axel once more.

* * *

 **Note:** Well, I'm tired and I have class tomorrow. So I guess I'm done writing for now. Sorry for my long-ass hiatus; hopefully I can make this more of a habit. The writing thing, I mean. And yes, Ventus/Xion is my favorite relationship in KH... or one of them. Eat me.


End file.
